Testimony in support of SB 5108, which would discourage the practice of moving money between different political action committees, or PACs, in order to mislead or confuse voters about who is truly funding certain political campaigns or political advertisements.

U.S. PIRG joined a broad coalition to deliver one million petitions from Americans, including U.S. PIRG members and supporters, calling on President Obama to shine a light on dark money, or secret political spending.

On Tuesday, November 3, Seattle voters approved Initiative 122: Honest Election Seattle, putting Seattle at the forefront of a nationwide movement to empower regular voters and reduce the influence of special interests and mega-donors in elections. WashPIRG aided the passage of I-122, gathering signatures to qualify the initiative, and mobilizing canvassers and organizers to talk to thousands of voters over the past few weeks.

A new analysis by WashPIRG has found that just 1,589 contributors, whose individual contributions were worth $500 or more, provided more than half of the $2.5 million raised by candidates up to the August primary election. Candidates raised more than $450,000, or roughly one-fifth of all funds, from 596 non-resident donors who gave contributions worth $500 or more. Only 18 percent of the money raised by all Seattle city council candidates leading up to the August 4 primary came from small donors giving $100 or less. Small dollar donors don’t have much of a voice when 82 percent of the money raised by candidates during the 2015 primary came from contributions of more than $100. The study also looks at how Honest Elections Seattle will empower regular voters and limit the influence of big money in local elections.

The role of money in elections is typically discussed in the context of high profile races such as those for President, Congress, or Governor, but big money from a tiny sliver of wealthy donors has an outsized role even in cities like Seattle. The influence of money in smaller races like City Council is often underestimated. This report looks at political giving in Seattle’s first district elections – the August 4, 2015 primary.

Candidates in the 2016 presidential race would see a dramatic shift in their fundraising, and have a powerful incentive to focus more on small donors under a proposed small donor public financing system, according to a study released on Tuesday by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG). Using candidate filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) through July, “Boosting the Impact of Small Donors: How Matching Funds Would Reshape the 2016 Presidential Election” examines the impact of a program that matches small contributions with limited public funds for candidates who agree not to accept large donations.

With 2016 candidates already raising record amounts from large donors for their campaigns, Sen. Durbin introduced legislation on June 10, 2015 that would empower small donors in our elections. The Fair Elections Now Act would enable more Americans to participate in the electoral process by establishing a $25 “my voice” refundable tax credit. Small contributions of less than $150 would then be matched with limited public funds at a rate of six-to-one for Senate candidates that agree to turn down big money, amplifying the voices of small donors.